| SimMechanics | |
Changing the Observer's Viewpoint
The Virtual Reality Toolbox contains a viewer as the default method for viewing virtual worlds. This section reviews the features and controls of the viewer.
The creation, configuration, and removal of virtual objects in the virtual world is entirely under the control of SimMechanics. You can add, change, or eliminate a virtual object only by making the corresponding change to the mechanical model in your Simulink model window.
The user's view of the virtual world, however, is under your control, through the viewer control panel at the bottom of the virtual scene.
Virtual Reality Toolbox Viewer Control Panel
Viewpoint Control
There are three buttons on the control panel that affect the viewpoint of the scene. The center circular button resets the view to the current viewpoint. This button is useful when you have been moving about the scene and need to reorient yourself.
You can use the right and left arrows associated with viewpoint control to browse through predefined viewpoints. These buttons are inactive if other viewpoints are not specified by the author. You can also use the Page Up and Page Down keys to navigate through these viewpoints.
Control Menu
Access the control menu by right-clicking in the viewer window. You can use the control menu to specify a predefined viewpoint or change the appearance of the control panel. You can also control the navigation method, speed, and rendering of the virtual world. For more information about navigation methods, see Navigation. For more information about rendering, see Rendering.
Changing the Navigation Speed
| Note Your navigation speed controls the distance you move with each keystroke. It does not affect animation speed. |
Set a higher speed for large machines and a slower speed for more controlled navigation in smaller machines.
Rendering
You can change the rendering of the scene through the control panel or the control menu. The virtual scene is illuminated both by ambient lighting and a "headlight" shining directly ahead from your viewpoint. The most basic rendering operation is turning the camera headlight and the lighting of the scene on or off. When Headlight is off, the scene can appear dark.
The ambient lighting from all directions is controlled by Lighting. When Lighting is off, the virtual world appears as if lit in all directions. Shadows disappear and the scene loses some of its three-dimensional quality.
If Transparency is off, transparent objects are rendered as solid objects.
Turning Wireframe on changes the scene's objects from solid to wireframe renderings.
Navigation
You can navigate through the virtual scene with either the control panel, control menu, or your mouse.
Control Panel. The center navigation wheel and two curved buttons on either side move you about the scene. Experiment by moving backward and forward and side to side until you become comfortable with the controls.
Control Menu. Right click in the viewer window to access the control menu. Select Navigation, and the control menu appears.
From this menu, you can reset the viewpoint so that it is pointed straight ahead by choosing Straighten up. You can also return to the current viewpoint by choosing Go to current viewpoint.
Mouse 3-D Roll. You can execute a 3-D roll in your viewpoint at any time by clicking and holding anywhere in the virtual scene and then dragging the cursor. Your viewpoint rolls in the direction you drag the cursor.
Learning More About Virtual Reality Toolbox
The best way to become comfortable moving around in a virtual world is to practice with a variety of movement modes and viewpoints. Consult the Virtual Reality Toolbox documentation for more details on controlling your virtual reality scene.
| | Viewing Machines in Virtual Reality | Creating a Custom Machine Visualization | |
